The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals is a scholarship program with a strong focus on cultural exchange. It is designed to give participants understanding for everyday life, education, and professional training in Germany and the United States. In the US the program is funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961. In Germany the program is funded through the Administration of the Bundestag and administered in Germany by InWEnt: Capacity Building International.
The CBYX for Young Professionals program is intended primarily for young adults in business, technical, vocational, and agricultural fields, though applicants from all fields are encouraged to apply. 75 Americans and 75 Germans participate in the program each year. For American participants, the 12-month program begins in late July, and consists of 2 months of intensive German language training in Germany, 4 months classroom instruction at a German University or College of Applied Sciences, and a 5-month internship in their career field.
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals application is available in three forms: as an online application, a fill-in PDF file accessible on our website, or in printed form. The online application and PDF version are available in June of each year for the December 1st deadline, and the printed application is available in late August. The application requires the following supporting materials: essay question answers, two letters of recommendation, a resume, a copy of applicant's high school diploma (or equivalent), and transcripts of the most recent 4 semesters of school. Applicants should select a target internship field based on past coursework and professional experience in that area of interest. If accepted to the program, the target internship field will determine placement in a specific German university or professional school.
Please read our frequently asked questions for more information pertaining to the program.
The deadline for applying is December 1st for the program beginning the following July. Applications are read by a selection committee and pre-selection announcements are made in late January. Interviews take place at several sites around the United States in February, and selection announcements are made in March. To insure timely and accurate processing of application information, the application and all supporting documents should be submitted as indicated in the application instructions.
